


downpour •

by softpine



Series: camellia oneshots [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Pregnancy, very sfw though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25037257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softpine/pseuds/softpine
Summary: A soft, gentle moment in the middle of a storm.
Series: camellia oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800172
Kudos: 13





	downpour •

**Author's Note:**

> prompted by anonymous! thank you <3  
>  **[warning for teen pregnancy]**

“Everlasting Father, thank you that I am never alone. Your presence calms the troubled sea of my life and speaks — ”

Lightning cracks through the still air, casting warped shadows across Mikaela’s dim bedroom. Booming thunder follows seconds later, shaking the house to the foundations and sending a chill down her spine.

“A-And speaks peace to my soul. Remove the stress that I am —”

After only a moment of reprieve, another round of lightning and thunder rumbles, louder and louder, closer and closer.

Despite herself, Mikaela flinches.  _ Screw it. _

She searches around for her slippers, but only cold wood lies where they should be. Olivia must have stolen them again. On second glance, her robe and sleep mask are missing too.

With a sigh, Mikaela tip-toes towards the hallway, the only light to guide her coming from the short bursts of lightning in the night sky. As quietly as she can, Mikaela raps her knuckles on Olivia’s door. It’s covered in flower stickers and post-it notes from friends — a bright spot in the cold, pristine hallway.

“Liv?” she whispers. “Are you up?”

There’s no answer. Olivia  _ could _ be sleeping… It’s nearly midnight, after all. But the storm raging outside puts Mikaela on edge, and she would really, very much like to not be alone tonight. She cracks the door open just enough to stick her head through, peering into the seemingly empty room. Olivia’s blankets and pillows are missing, leaving nothing but a thin sheet on the mattress. Mikaela spots a full glass of water on the nightstand and concludes that she had been here recently. But no Olivia.

“Okay…” Mikaela hugs her stomach as another burst of lightning electrifies the room.

She closes the door again, making her way down the stairs quietly. The last thing she wants to do is wake up her mom and have to explain why she’s awake so late on a school night.

As she rounds the corner, she hears the distant voices of a TV show. A glow emanates from the living room fireplace, spilling out into the hall. Mikaela relaxes. She follows the light, impressed by the sight that greets her.

Olivia has strung up her blankets between the curtain rods and covered the floor in pillows, creating an ingeniously cozy cave. She’s snuggled up in the center, watching the TV with half-lidded eyes. When Mikaela says, “There you are…” Olivia jumps, her blonde ponytail hitting her in the cheek as she turns to stare at her.

“I thought you were Mama,” Olivia laughs. She shifts to the side, leaving an empty space for her sister to climb in. “Did the storm scare you too?”

“Pff, no,” Mikaela says. “I’m supposed to be comforting  _ you _ .”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Olivia winks. She grabs for the remote, making a move to change the show, but it’s too late.  _ Lockup _ is written harshly on barbed wire, overlaid by the sound of metal bars slamming shut.

Mikaela shivers. “Why are you watching this?”

“I don’t know,” Olivia says. “I guess I wanted to see what he’s… What he got himself into. If it was worth it.”

“It wasn’t,” Mikaela says quickly. “It wasn’t.”

Olivia wordlessly changes the channel, flipping through a few reality shows before she settles on a mind-numbing shopping network. They’re advertising a truly hideous set of jewelry, covered in gaudy rubies and huge diamonds. “Mama would love that,” Olivia remarks.

Mikaela slaps her on the arm, but can’t hold in a laugh. It’s true, anyway.

The woman on the screen packs up her jewelry, giving the camera one last botox-laced smile before strutting away. She’s instantly replaced by a middle-aged man selling beard gel. He’s describing how silky, smooth, and youthful his beard looks after using it, when the storm decides she’s been ignored too long, and the TV screen freezes, distorts, and flickers to black. In the ensuing silence, the rain pounds harder than ever against the windows.

“Well, there goes that,” Olivia huffs. “What are we supposed to do now? Go to  _ sleep _ ?”

“You can sleep in my room,” Mikaela offers.

“I’m not tired.”

Mikaela knows it’s more than that, but she lets it go. She’s not in the mood for sleeping either. Thunderstorms always seep into her dreams, where they metamorphose into nightmares. It’s better to wait them out.

She’s lost in her mind for a moment too long. Olivia is already bored, presumably racking her brain for something,  _ anything _ she can do to bide time while the power is out.

“Can I feel the baby?”

Mikaela’s eyes go wide. “ _ Shh _ , are you crazy? Mama could hear you.”

“She brought a bottle of wine to bed an hour ago; She’s not waking up anytime soon,” Olivia says. “Please? I think if you talk to the baby more, it’ll start kicking.”

Mikaela giggles. “That’s not how it works.”

“Like you would know. You haven’t even gone to the doctor.”

Wincing, Mikaela bunches the blanket up tight to her waist and tries to ignore how her sweatshirt is already ill-fitting. “I know,” she sighs. “I’m trying to figure out how.”

Olivia scoots forward and puts her arm around her sister’s shoulders. “You know… If Mama doesn’t like it, we can just leave. Like you promised.”

_ ‘Pinky promise. I’m not going anywhere without you, Liv…’ _

“I like that idea,” Mikaela smiles. She puts a hand on her tummy through the blanket. She’s too scared to touch it under her shirt still — Like if she really  _ feels _ it, it’ll split open like the chestburster from Alien. She’s seen it in her nightmares too many times for comfort.

“So can I? Feel the baby?”

Mikaela bites the inside of her cheek. “Okay. But be careful.”

“Duh,” Olivia laughs. She splays her hands across the front of Mikaela’s shirt like she’s holding onto an expensive vase, her fingertips barely touching. “Hi, tiny baby. I’m your aunt. Wait, aunt? That doesn’t sound right. I’m only twelve.”

Mikaela covers a laugh with her hand. “You got it right, you’re their aunt.”

“Woah!” Olivia cries out, cutting herself off when Mikaela shushes her wildly. Dropping down to a whisper, she says, “I felt it kick.”

Mikaela doesn’t have the heart to tell her it’s impossible yet. She simply smiles and says, “I guess they like you.”

Olivia takes her hands off and settles back into the blankets. She’s fighting off a yawn, her eyes falling shut again. The thunder and wind outside has quieted, leaving behind only the gentle pattering of summer rain. “Will you sleep here tonight?” Olivia asks quietly.

“Of course,” Mikaela says. She pulls a pillow under her head and closes her eyes. They only lie still for a moment, before Mikaela’s hand reaches out to clasp Olivia’s. Someday soon, Olivia will think she’s too old for this; but tonight, they’re comfortable.

“Mickey?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll be a good mom.”

Mikaela squeezes her eyes tight until the tears disappear. “Thanks, Liv.”

**Author's Note:**

> softpine.tumblr.com :-)


End file.
